7 reasons you should be listening to podcasts

In many ways, podcasts have become the universal medium to inform listeners on everything from bird-watching to exactly how scientists are working to discover a vaccine to combat the coronavirus. Some may view podcasts as the new YouTube to spend mindless hours consuming. (Granted, when selective, YouTube holds a wealth of information.) Still, podcasts offer a world of information and opportunities to grow our skills as leaders in a rapid and accessible way.

For leaders who live in a fast-paced environment, we may not always have enough time to educate ourselves. But podcasts allow us to learn and grow as leaders, stay informed with current events, and, overall, increase our knowledge of topics we may have never engaged otherwise. 

We are all seeking ways to lead better, tighten up our teams and increase the production level. Podcasts may seem like distractions, but in more ways than one they can increase your knowledge as a leader.

Here are seven reasons you should be listening to podcasts:

  1. They continually engage in a variety of leadership scenarios. Podcasts, particularly those focused on leadership, allow you to listen and consider various situations leaders encounter. Particularly for aspiring leaders, podcasts can be a simple way to consume the essential knowledge leaders need to be successful.

  2. They enable you to understand how other leaders fail and learn. Podcasts offer endless accounts of people who have failed and learned from their failures. While we all will or have encountered failure, hearing others’ experiences of overcoming them can contribute to how we face and learn from our own shortcomings.

  3. They help you understand how others strive to succeed. In times where work may be slow, uncertain or you feel a loss of motivation, podcasts offer inspiration that will put a fire under you. Whether it is the story of a leader, basketball player or entrepreneur, these interviews can give us insight into familiar problems we all face. Stories of those who overcome challenges can always encourage us to press on.

  4. They allow you to think differently about how you lead.  As leaders, we can be stuck in a rut of never changing how we lead or work with people. Listening to how others manage or navigate their businesses helps us consider different ways of approaching our roles.

  5. They keep us aware of current trends. Listening to podcasts regularly also opens our eyes to new ideas and trends. Whether it be innovative trends in the world of leadership, relative corporations or the business world at large, podcasts keep us in check with an ever-changing culture.

  6. They allow us to think about something outside of leading (which can improve our leadership). We can tend to believe that the only things we ever should consume to develop as leaders is books and podcasts on leadership. But a great many topics, from nature to history to pop-culture, can increase our knowledge and capacity in whatever role we have.

  7. They serve as affordable resources. The cost of leadership materials and conferences can add up quickly. But podcasts allow us to keep a hand on experiential leadership so that we can continually improve.

Podcasts open us up to a world around us that we may never be able to engage otherwise.

Listening to individuals’ stories firsthand opens us up to consume information differently than we may have if we read about them. By making a habit of engaging new topics and podcasts, we are continually sharpening our ideas and knowledge.

You may never have considered podcasts as a leadership resource to increase your skills. But as you begin to make it a habit to listen about new topics, consider others’ stories, and engage in the world around you, you are continually sharpening yourself and your leadership.